AuthorTopic: Any thoughts on Toledo? (Read 23866 times)

I don't know if the academic world is different from the corporate world, but that sounds like a demotion and not a contract dispute.

While I'm not saying you are wrong PBW, I have heard of similar situations. This past semester my undergrad program head went back to teaching full-time. He was in no way demoted. He wanted to teach full-time, as he couldn't stand teaching 1-2 classes at most and spending the rest of the time dealing with administration. From all I've heard, Dean Closius is very well liked and respected, so I would be surprised if this was a demotion. I guess we'll know more when we are on campus this fall...

Two deans at the University of Toledo - Phillip Closius in the college of law and David Stern in the college of arts and sciences - are being demoted to teaching positions, university officials announced yesterday.

Provost Alan Goodridge said the decision not to renew their contracts as deans was based on the fact that both had requested contracts the university could not meet and not because of job performance issues. Among the reasons the provost cited were the deans' personal salary requests as well as requests to adjust salaries for their key staff.

"I don't think performance was an issue as far as this decision. This really resulted with some demands that didn't provide us with much wiggle room," Mr. Goodridge said last night.

According to university records released yesterday, Mr. Closius provided Mr. Goodridge with two potential contracts - one for four years and the other for an interim contract. In the four-year pact, he was seeking an initial annual salary of $210,000 plus a one-time payment of $10,000.

The four-year contract proposal was one that Mr. Closius had drafted and written himself for Mr. Goodridge to sign. Mr. Closius said he did this only because nothing had formerly been offered to him.

He indicated in his notice that the university would need to either accept one of his contract proposals or he would consider June 30 his last day as dean.

Mr. Stern was seeking to have his current salary adjusted to $172,000, effective July 1. He outlined other raises over upcoming years in addition to other stipulations, as did Mr. Closius. Mr. Stern said he was willing to sit down and negotiate details of the contract proposal.

The deans were informed by letter on Tuesday that their contracts would not be renewed once they expire at the end of this month. National searches for new deans will begin after June 30, with interim deans appointed in the meantime.

Both Mr. Closius and Mr. Stern said in telephone interviews with The Blade last night that they were surprised their contracts were not renewed. Neither man had been given indication of poor performance and both also said they were told along the way by the provost that their contracts would be renewed. Both added they felt that contract negotiations were stalled by the administration.

Mr. Closius, who has served as the law school dean since 1999, earned his undergraduate degree at Notre Dame University and his law degree at Columbia University. He worked for a law firm in New York and joined UT in 1979 as an associate professor, but is not licensed to practice law in Ohio, according to the Ohio Supreme Court's Web site.

In recent years, the dean has been credited with helping to raise bar passage rates for the college's law students, increasing UT's rankings among law schools listed in the U.S. News & World Report.

He's also been praised for bringing well-known, highly-sought speakers to the law school, some the day after they have presented before the Supreme Court.

"There's never been a hint of dissatisfaction with my performance - at least [told] to me," Mr. Closius said.

Mr. Stern, who joined UT as an assistant professor of philosophy in 1990, has been dean of his college since 2000. He earned his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a doctorate from the University of California at San Diego.

He said he was looking forward to continuing with implementation of a new strategic plan in his college. One of the plan's goals included development of a jazz institute at UT.

"I was never told that there were any problems at all," Mr. Stern said of his work at UT.

Both men were appointed to their posts under the previous administration of President Vik Kapoor.

The deans both said contract discussions had been stalled over the past months and they were the ones approaching the provost about details, including salary. The two deans met with Mr. Goodridge less than two weeks ago in his office, along with Dean Jerome Sullivan, who is the head of UT's College of Heath and Human Services.

Mr. Sullivan's contract also will expire at the end of the month, but negotiations on a new agreement are continuing with the university, Mr. Goodridge said.

Here's the key sentence in that article:"Both men were appointed to their posts under the previous administration of President Vik Kapoor."

Also, what's up with the Toledo Blade hating UT/Dean Closius? I did a search for articles on Dean Closius, and here are some quotes from ones I found, pretty much wailing on the Dean since the day he was hired:

"Mediocre not good enough" - Editorial, Toledo Blade

"University of Toledo President Vik Kapoorís otherwise commendable purge of the old regime, a crusade intended to chart a new course and make the university a better place, came to a sudden stop at the moat that surrounds the College of Law. At a time when the university languishes yet again in the bottom quartile of U.S. News & World Reportís annual rankings of American institutions of higher education, at a time when the future of the law school itself is in question, stewardship of the college was turned over to a faculty insider with uninspiring credentials. The new law school dean, Phillip Closius, has been a faculty member since 1979, which may make him a survivor but hardly qualifies him to take over the administration and direction of the school."

THE University of Toledo Law School's improved national ranking is good news indeed and indicates the school is moving in the right direction. That is encouraging for the school and the community.At the same time, it must be noted that the law school moved up just seven spots in the annual rankings by U.S. News & World Report, from 101st last year, to a five-way tie for 94th, and remains solidly in the middle of the pack.

Webster's Third New Dictionary (unabridged) defines the word "mediocre" as "of a middle quality." And that's a textbook description of the UT college of law. But it's getting better and striving to move up. We hope the progress continues.

"He worked for a law firm in New York and joined UT in 1979 as an associate professor, but is not licensed to practice law in Ohio, according to the Ohio Supreme Court's Web site."

Thank's for the posts, good to know someone is on top of things since I had not yet heard. I had only met the dean once and he seemed like a pretty decent guy. The Blade does seem a little calous toward the Law School, I wonder how they would feel about being called a mediocre paper. Anyway, hopefully Toledo's slip in the rankings was not a sign of things to come (not that rankings are accurate). I wonder when they will select a new dean and where he/she will come from?

Thank's for the posts, good to know someone is on top of things since I had not yet heard. I had only met the dean once and he seemed like a pretty decent guy. The Blade does seem a little calous toward the Law School, I wonder how they would feel about being called a mediocre paper. Anyway, hopefully Toledo's slip in the rankings was not a sign of things to come (not that rankings are accurate). I wonder when they will select a new dean and where he/she will come from?

Good Posts - keep me informed.

Yeah, I have to agree. I know rankings aren't everything, but I would hate for the school to slide further. The Dean seemed to really know what had to be done to increase bar passage rates, climb the rankings, and just give the school a better rep overall.

Very interesting. Good to see support for the Dean from students and alums. Hopefully Provost Goodridge will wise-up and realize Dean Closius knows what he is doing, and is the right person to lead the college of law.

They must be pretty busy, I haven't received any new mailings in the past few weeks. I wonder how many of the incomming students are aware of the situation at UT Law. Despite the support for Dean Closius I doubt Goodridge will change his mind. It seems like to do so Goodridge would basically have to admit that he made a mistake, something most administrators are simply unable to do. I just hope the Law School keeps moving forward and improving.